Staring at the faded paint peeling off the walls, his gaze shifting to a single bulb hanging from the ceiling, his nose stinging from air thick with the scent of dampness and something else, a mix of sweat and unwashed clothes.
Sat in one corner of this decrepit old room on a makeshift bunk bed leaned precariously against the wall, Theodore, a boy who still had the innocent features of a seventeen-year-old boy with short, snow white hair and golden eyes glinting in the sunlight, was lost in thought as he sat cross-legged on his bed and stared out the window.
Below was a couple who were exiting the building with a boy who looked no older than ten, happily following and linking hands with them. The boy's smile radiated hope and joy as they led him into a sleek car parked just a few steps from the entrance.
Staring at the scene, Theo's heart couldn't help but ache.
"This is the life of an orphan, huh?" he whispered as he pondered.
'I wonder what he feels like right now. Is he excited? Ecstatic? Maybe even relieved? I mean, who wouldn't be? The prospect of getting new family, a real family, as an outskirt rat is an exciting one.'
His mind rambled on, playing out a number of scenarios. But after a while, the thought of getting a family, one that wasn't his, isn't what he really wanted.
'Sure, they would love and take care of me, but that love isn't the same.... not the same as what they would have given me. But, it's not like I can be picky, not now anyway.'
What he wanted most was a real family, but he understood that the chance to leave the dump he had called home for the past seventeen years of his life would be a blessing. One he was probably never going to experience. Not at his age, at least.
'Guess that means I'll be stuck here for life.'
The outskirts! The dirtiest, poorest, most disdained, dangerous, and neglected part of the city. As well as the only place in the entire city where people like him were allowed to live.
Watching the car drive off in the direction of the inner city, Theodore sighed.
'Guess that's the end of that fairy tale then,' he said as he got off the bed.
Reaching a table by his side, he picked u and put on a tie, socks, shoes, and a blazer. Walked out of his run-down room, down the empty hallway, and made his way down the stairs. With every empty room he passed, his frown would deepen, and that only got worse when he reached the dining room.
In the seats where there would always be at least one child making a fuss, there was no one. His heart ached, but there was no helping it. Not anymore. But where the kids usually sat, a blonde-haired woman sat at the table with a big smile on her face a she stared at a picture frame in her hands.
"What's got you so chipper this morning, Maria?"
"Didn't you see?"
"See what?"
"Andy, the last child in my care, has finally found a home! I'm so happy for him, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I'm oh so happy the last 'child' has 'finally' found a home."
Realizing what she had said, Maria's smile faded and was replaced by a look of concern.
"You know that's not what I meant, Theo."
"Yeah, sure," he said, picking a backpack from the seat beside her.
"Off to school already?"
"Yeah, I might not want to, but I have to attend my last day of school as a 'kid', right?"
Maria's expression turned solemn.
"It's already that time, huh?"
"Well, something like that."
"Come on, Theo, don't act so sold! I'm just trying to show my concern for you."
Theo waved his hand at Maria dismissively.
"Sure you are."
"Theo!" she yelled as he walked through the door.
"Bye, Maria."
***
Staring out of a window and sitting at a desk, an hour later, classes began, ended, and began again, going by without Theo showing an ounce of interest.
'Why bother anyway? Not like this repetitive cycle of math, physics, and all that jazz makes sense anyway. We're all dead in a few hours anyway.'
Sighing and continuing to stare nonchalantly out the window, Theodore was once again lost in thought. Time flew by, and before he knew it, the day was nearly over. But before it did end, the speakers in the halls crackled as they were turned on.
{Attention, all third-year students! Please prepare to move to your designated gymnasium.}
Brought back from his stupor by the announcement, Theo sighed.
"Guess it's time."
***
Half an hour later, Theodore and his classmates all changed into their simple gym uniforms and stood in an orderly fashion in the gym awaiting further instruction. Thumping his foot impatiently against the ground, he looked to the watch hanging on the wall constantly.
'When is this thing going to start?'
Soon, a group of people walked through the entrance and made their way to the front, and once there, a man dressed in a simple tracksuit stepped forward. The students around Theo all looked and listened closely, making sure not to miss a single word.
"Good day, students! My name is Nicolas, Nicolas Brown! And I am a rank two Herald!"
The students in the gymnasium erupted.
"Woah! That means he is a master, right?" One murmured.
"Yeah! And it also means he has gone through the second trial!"
Stomping his foot against the ground, he sent a small shockwave that shook the students.
"I'm not done!"
The students immediately quieted.
"Good, now as you know, some of you are on the verge of something great. And that is the path to becoming an awakened!"
Raising his hand, he pointed to what was in his palm.
"To aid you in that, I hold in my hand a device that will be handed to each of you in a few moments, which you are required to wear until midnight."
Before he could continue, a number of students present raised their hands. he glanced over the crowd of students with a piercing glare, and they immediately dropped them.
He continued, and as he did, a number of people holding boxes went round handing out the watch-like device.
"This device is designed to scan and display your ether index. Namely, the state of your Ether core, its rank, and its saturation level. I believe you all know what all that means already, so I will not be elaborating further!"
Receiving his, Theo looked down at his, put it on, and looked back at Nicolas.
"For most of you, the saturation will be between ten and twenty percent, which means your chances of ever awakening a trait, especially a powerful one, are low. In fact, apart from the typical boost, you will likely never amount to anything!"
'Real motivational Mr rank two!' Theo thought.
"To be honest, for most of you, I hope that is the case."
'Well, that's counterproductive. Wouldn't you want us to awaken strong abilities?'
"But, for those with higher ether levels, anywhere from twenty to a hundred, your chances of awakening one are raised drastically. And the higher the percentage, the higher the rank of the trait you will receive. Which also means the trials you will experience would be even more challenging."
As his words hung in the air, a chill crept down the spines of all the students. The allure of power was intoxicating, but the reality that it came with a price was daunting.
"Well, I guess that's enough of that. If you would now please look at the devices I have a few notes."
Looking down, Theo stared at the watch handed to him and watched a bar load on the screen, and once it was done, a figure was displayed in front of him.
[Ether core- Dormant]
[Core rank- None]
[Core Saturation- Error%]
'Error? What does this thing mean by error? Is it busted or something?'
"For those of you too stupid to pay attention in class, an ether core is where the energy called ether gathers within your body."
Theo raised a brow.
'I thought you weren't going to explain, though.'
"Think of it like a battery, and ether is the power used to recharge it. For now, it is dormant, but by midnight when the winter solstice begins, those of you who stood here will be forced to the otherworld where you will face your trial. And once you pass, you will be able to awaken. But till then, your bodies will continue to gather ether, and the device will continue to monitor you, so for those worried about their fates, the score you are currently seeing might not be your final reading."
'So I'm not getting a trait then? Well, whatever, not like I wanted to awaken anyway.'
From behind the man, a woman stepped forward, unlike the man in the tracksuit, she was dressed in an official blue and white uniform. Her long black hair fell to her waist, and her brown eyes quickly glanced over the students. As soon as she stepped forward, the atmosphere in the gymnasium changed.
The students who had previously been nearly apathetic to their instructor's words became openly hostile. With eyes filled with contempt and unwelcoming demeanours, they made their displeasure at her presence known.
But unlike his peers, Theodore showed no reaction and just listened.
"My name is Emma, a rank two Herald of the metahuman corps, and to you, possible herald candidates, I give my heartfelt apologies. Unlike the other institutions that have been preparing for this day for months, you have been deprived of that same privilege, and no one but we is to blame."
The woman gave a deep bow to the students before continuing.
"Now, ideally, you all would have been required to stay here and would be given pods where you would safely go through your trial, but as we are pressed for time, you will have to make do with your homes. We have already sent correspondents to your respective homes with the requirements for your safety while you undergo the trial, but once again, I apologise for your lack of preparation material.
With that, I have said all I have to and would bid you farewell, I have another four institutions to visit today after all."
The moment the woman finished her speech, she made her way out of the gymnasium accompanied by a few of the schools teachers who were trying their hardest to suck up to her. Watching them go, Theodore scoffed, but before he could say anything more, the previous instructor stepped forward once more.
"Like the nice lady said, you brats, it is unfortunate that you have been dealt the hand of poverty, but all you can do now is use all the training we have provided you in the last month and persevere."
The man's tone shifted from his usual stern one to a softer and more emotional one, and following his shift, the mood in the gym became even more grim as the reality of the situation dawned on the students.
"I honestly hope that you will be the first of many to make it through the trial and awaken from our institution. No, I beg of you, please, it doesn't matter how you do it, just survive."
Among the students, there were those silently dreading what was to come, there were those who had accepted their fate, and there were those who looked utterly apathetic to everything happening around them. Among those, Theodore was the latter. Despite that, there was something that caught his interest, and that was the device on his wrist that kept reading an error. He stared at the device for what felt like hours through the rest of the school day, but nothing changed.
By the end, he had given up hope and sighed.
'Whatever, it's not like me making it through the trial was a realistic scenario anyway.'
***
For the next hours, once school had let out, Theodore found himself sitting on the rooftops of his rundown neighbourhood in the corner of the city at the edge of the outskirts he called home.
Looking over the landscape of their near-dilapidated environment and remembering the speech the officer had given them only a few hours prior.
"What was her name again?"
Interrupting his thoughts were the sounds of people in the bustling street below.
"Damned normies."
On the single paved street below, there were people dressed in fresh, brand-new clothes. Their hair glistened in the light. Men, women, and even some families. The laughter of the children was lick a mocking melody that only made his heart ache even more.
"Must be nice," he muttered under his breath, bitterness lacing his words.
Looking back, his view was contrasted by the near-dilapidated state of the outskirts. The further in he looked, the more dire the state of the buildings. At some point, they even seemed to regress, going from concrete structures to wooden houses, even huts were visible, but at the edge of the city, his view was obstructed by a massive wall. That wall stretched for dozens of miles high. Lacing its edge at the top, there were cannons mounted at regular intervals.
At its base, below his gaze fell on a gate guarded by a number of armed officers.
Like with the officer who visited his school, he showed no contempt, displeasure, or even recognition. To him, they were no more than specs of dust lying about on the floor. Gazing toward the night sky, his thoughts once again wandered.
'When will this hell end?'
After a while, he snapped back and glanced at the watch on his wrist.
[Ether core- Dormant]
[Core rank- None]
[Core Saturation- Error%]
'No changes, huh... and it's nearly midnight'
Glancing back in the direction of the city, he sighed.
'Guess I'm not going to awaken, huh.'
He got up and stretched his body, stepped forward, and dropped down the side of the building and into a pile of trash below.
"That's enough sightseeing for today."
Dusting off his clothes, he started towards home, but unbeknownst to him, something had changed.
[Ether core- Dormant]
[Core rank- None]
[Core Saturation- 3%]